Introducing desirable molecules into a liquid material to improve the material's properties requires even dissociation or dispersion of the molecules in the liquid. If the molecules are not normally dispersible, or only partially dispersible, the result of incomplete or ineffective dispersion can be a heterogeneous, rather than a desired homogeneous, mixture. Heterogeneity can create points or areas of instability in the material where failure can occur. Formulating a paint material with a fluorinated material has heretofore been difficult because the strong attraction of the fluorinated molecule to itself reduces the dissociation in the paint base and often results in aggregation or phase separation, which provides aesthetically unpleasing coating, and also reduces the desirable properties of the paint, such as, but not limited to, surface texture, smoothness, reflectivity, durability, abrasion resistance, and the like.
For example, in paint composition materials it may be desirable to introduce molecules that improve hydrophobicity so that the surface coated with the paint has a greater ability to repel water. Such molecules may include, but are not limited to, fluorinated polymers. One example are fluorinated polyhedral oligomeric silsesquioxane (“F-POSS”) polymer molecules, which are a subclass of polyhedral oligomeric silsesquioxanes (“POSS”) and consist of a silicon-oxide core [SiO1.5] with a periphery of long-chain fluorinated alkyl groups. Such alkyl groups include fluorinated triethoxysilanes. F-POSS molecules possesses one of the lowest known surface energies leading to the creation of superhydrophobic and oleophobic surfaces. A feature of F-POSS material is that it ordinarily forms a siloxy cage that acts like an inorganic glass-like material, but have organic R group substituents at the matrix apices, which provides unusual properties and applications. See formula [1] below.

Blending F-POSS into conventional paints is problematic because the fluorine atoms of neighboring F-POSS molecules have a tendency to attract each other resulting in F-POSS molecules not typically being readily dispersible or dissociable in other materials. F-POSS molecules typically have low solubility in non-fluorinated solvents. It would be desirable to have an F-POSS material that was more easily dispersed or dissociated in other materials.
The phase separations that can occur when trying to blend fluorinated molecules into a paint or other liquid material may result in imposed heterogeneity, which can be disastrous as some regions may be more hydrophobic or oleophobic than others. The lattice energy of the matrix of the heterogeneous paint material can result in formation of crystallites, which cause phase anomalies and points of instability where failure can occur. In paint compositions, such failures may cause cracking, delamination, peeling, and other failures.
It would be desirable to have a method for compatibilizing the molecule to be added to the material so as to achieve as much dissociation as possible and to form a homogeneous mixture.
High abrasion resistance is often a key attribute of paint materials that are applied to a surface that will be subject to abrasion forces. A smoother surface contributes to increasing abrasion resistance. Abrasion resistance is improved with paint materials where the coated surface has a more homogenous and, therefore, smoother finish. Paint materials that are relatively heterogeneous present a rougher finish and are less abrasion resistant. It would be desirable to have a paint or coating material having high hydrophobicity and/or oleophobicity that also possesses high abrasion resistance.
Fluorinated materials have the drawback of being environmentally unfriendly. Paint, coating or other materials or systems that contain fluorinated materials, while they may have improved hydrophobicity and/or oleophobicity, may not be as environmentally friendly as desirable. It would be desirable to reduce the amount of fluorinated materials in paint, coating or other materials and systems yet retain the desirable hydrophobicity, oleophobicity and/or other properties such materials and systems possess.
It is believed that heretofore F-POSS materials have been formed having only one molecule as the R substituent for all apices. The fluorine atoms of neighboring F-POSS molecules have a tendency to attract each other resulting in F-POSS molecules not typically being readily dispersible or dissociable in other materials. F-POSS molecules typically have low solubility in non-fluorinated solvents. It would be desirable to have an F-POSS material that was more easily dispersed or dissociated in other materials.